Leila Del Duca’s Traditional Comic Inking Tutorial
Join Leila Del Duca, a renowned comic book artist and writer hailing from the vibrant city of Portland, Oregon, as she unveils her unique approach to traditional comic inking. In this insightful tutorial, Leila takes you through her techniques and shares invaluable tips for artists of all levels.
Getting to Know Leila Del Duca: Before diving into the inking process, Leila provides a glimpse into her impressive background. She’s the creative mind behind titles like “Shutter,” “Sleepless,” and the recent “Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed.” As both an artist and writer, her work has graced the pages of major comic publishers, including Image Comics, DC, and Marvel.
Setting Ground Rules: Leila sets some essential ground rules, especially beneficial for beginners. She emphasizes the importance of using varying line weights to create depth and perspective. Additionally, she advises against inking outside panel borders unless it’s a deliberate stylistic choice. Leila delves into the significance of establishing a light source for added realism and encourages artists to invest in high-quality paper (Bristol board) to prevent ink bleeding.
Taking Care of Your Tools: Leila shares practical advice on maintaining your inking tools, particularly brushes. She underscores the importance of cleaning your tools, especially brushes, to preserve their longevity and performance. Leila’s approach is a testament to her experience in the field.
Inking Techniques and Tips: She begins inking a captivating double-page spread from “Shutter” issue 18, offering insights into her creative process. She illustrates the use of a rapidograph ink pen, which she prefers for its ideal thickness. Leila demonstrates the process of preparing the brush for inking, achieving fine lines, and ensuring a consistent ink flow.
Creating Line Variation: Leila showcases her talent in creating line variation, a hallmark of her distinctive style. She demonstrates how to achieve texture, messy quality, and imperfect lines, embracing the artistic freedom of inking.
Panel Borders and Rulers: She discusses the practicality of using rulers for inking straight lines and how she employs rapidograph pens for such tasks. However, she reveals her personal preference for freehanding, allowing for more organic and less rigid line work.
Inking Background Elements: Leila exemplifies her approach to inking background elements, emphasizing that they don’t require the same level of precision as foreground subjects. She shares her method of implying details rather than meticulously rendering them, all while maintaining a cohesive and engaging narrative.
Taking Breaks and Staying Active: She reminds artists of the importance of taking breaks and incorporating physical activity into their routines to counteract the sedentary nature of drawing.
Join Leila Del Duca on this captivating journey into the world of traditional comic inking. Whether you’re a budding artist or a seasoned pro, her wisdom and techniques are sure to inspire and elevate your comic artistry.
Leila del Duca is a comic book artist with an energetic, sketchy inking style. She shows us how she inks comics with a brush, rapidograph, and G-nib. Part 1 of 2.
Leila’s website: https://www.leiladelduca.net/
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